Condition of setting surge tanks in hydropower plants - A review

Hydropower plays an important role in the safe, stable and efficient operation of power systems, especially with current trends toward renewable energy systems. The total global potential of gross, technical, economic, and exploitable hydropower are still enormous in the future, and the developments of new hydropower stations (HPSs) are of great importance. For constructions of new HPSs, the condition of setting surge tanks (CSST) is crucial for various perspectives, e.g. safety, stability and economy of HPSs. In this review, the CSST are summarized and analyzed from the three aspects: regulation assurance, operation stability, and the regulation quality, with an aim of providing a reference and guidance for research and engineering applications regarding surge tanks. Upstream and downstream surge tanks in conventional HPSs and pumped storage power stations are all included. Moreover, a comprehensive comparison of CSST under different conditions is conducted. One of the main focuses of this review is on Chinese studies, for introducing many meaningful results written in Chinese to more readers all over the world.